News

2.3

'Brusseleir Digger' Exhibition

read more

Brusseleir Digger is an intimate portrait of the Brussels vinyl collectors and diggers scene. The exhibition highlights 10 Brussels based record collectors and diggers and their musical tastes. For each subject, a selection of photographs of their private collections and 10 of their favourite records are on display, immersing the visitor into 10 unique musical worlds.

The collectors focused on are as diverse as the city itself, showcasing different nationalities, backgrounds and musical tastes. They are admirers of classical music, electronic sounds, Egyptian singers or Ivorian salsa music and yet all have the same obsession with vinyl. Whether they own enormous collections or rather restrained numbers of records, they each have their own particular story and approach. The photographs and records on display allow a truly interesting peek into the minds of these creatives.

Visiting the exhibition will give you an insight into the drive of a record collector and digger. Why do they collect these objects? Where do they find their wax? And what's their favourite slab of black gold? After all, record collecting is a way of life and nothing starts a conversation like talking about ones favourite music.

The exhibition presents a fascinating image of a strong Brussels scene. The digging and collecting culture has been an instrumental part of the city for many years, proven by the rich tradition of record stores, fairs and vinyl enthusiasts in the Belgian capital. It survived the arrival of the cd in the nineties and digital formats in the naughties. In a city as vibrant and multi-cultural as Brussels, the exhibition guides visitors through a creative and positive scene, where music is the common and unifying factor.

The ‘Brusseleir Digger’ exhibition is the brainchild of Koen Galle, a passionate collector and dj himself. He runs the website ‘Red Bull Belgium: The Vinyl Frontier’ and works as an artistic director at Listen Festival. Photographs are by the hand of Thomas Sweertvaegher. He studied the Master program at the Royal Academie Of Fine Arts in Ghent and has been part of exhibitions in Ghent, Liège, Rotterdam, Osaka, London and Antwerp. He works for several Belgian media outlets and recently published the book ‘Hallertau: A Skateboarder’s Journal’ (Hannibal). Koen and Thomas met in 2013 and have been interviewing and photographing Belgian vinyl collectors ever since.

'Brusseleir Digger' is made possible thanks to the support of VGC, ING, Nokia, Sennheizer & Laboriver.

read less

4.3

Zwangere Guy added to Listen Festival 2018

read more

Great news! Stikstof member and notoire Brusselaar Zwangere Guy has been added to the line-up. He will perform solo on Friday March 30 in La Madeleine, on a line-up curated by Back In The Dayz & Slice Of Pie.

Unfortunately Swing had to cancel his performance in La Madeleine. Ticket sellers who prefer a cashback, can send a mail to info @ listenfestival.be.

As if the Listen Festival weekend wasn’t already pretty busy with club nights, concerts, workshops, expo, a record/gear fair, … we introduce Showcase Thursday: an evening full of free showcases in various hangouts and key locations in town, curated by eight prolific Belgian labels.

We like to take the opportunity during our festival weekend to give a stage to talented new artists and dj’s. That's why the Thursday evening during the Listen Festival weekend will be called 'Showcase Thursday' from now on. Think of it as Casual Friday, but much more fun.

We made a list of our favorite Belgian electronic music labels, and asked them to make us an artistic offer. The result shows the vast variety of the Belgian electronic music scene. House music will be represented by We Play House Records, Kalahari Oyster Cult and Play Label. More on a techno trip with Curle Records and on the experimental techno/electronics side we have Vlek. Tangram and Cosmic Pop Records show the urban side of Belgium, while the Stoemp Poppunt concert circuit (not really a label, but hey) also curates a cutting edge lineup.

The aim is simple: to offer a high quality lineup of yet to be discovered live acts and DJs, free of charge, and all of that in the city's favorite local hangouts and bars.

Listen Festival will be presenting the European premiere of the first large scale physical installation of Radio Soulwax's video series, creating an immersive environment for the audience to dance in, dream in, and explore the endless audio-visual world of Radio Soulwax.Join us on Saturday March 31st and Sunday April 1st at the ING Art Center in Brussels.

Stephen & David Dewaele: “Our only demand for including our Radio Soulwax installation at Listen festival was that they would temporarily change their name to Watch & Listen festival, in order to certify that all people present have the ability to see the animations as well as hear our mixes. Unfortunately our lawyers made the mistake of not signing the contracts in time and now we are stuck with this painful situation where we are allowing the product of years of hard work to potentially be experienced solely by the blind people of Brussels. In order to avoid being called out as discriminators, we have let this one slip but we advise everyone to bring their eyes as well as their ears for this year’s edition of Listen festival.”

Please note that neither Stephen & David Dewaele, Soulwax or 2manydj’s will be physically performing at Listen Festival 2018.Deewee’s affiliates Asa Moto will be playing on Saturday March 31st at Horta Gallery though.

Listen Festival is proud to present the European premiere of the Radio Soulwax immersive installation. The world premiere in Houston (Texas) during the Day For Night Festival in December 2017 witnessed enthusiastic reactions from the festival audience, taking the opportunity to (re)discover the beautiful animations and stunning music mixes of Radio Soulwax. It even became a dance floor of it’s own, adding an extra festival stage to the line-up.

Radio Soulwax is a pioneering digital radio Station launched on 4th July 2011. It provides a total of 24 themed albums, each containing a one hour mix of exclusive and uniquely created audio & visual content.

With RADIO SOULWAX David & Stephan Dewaele AKA 2ManyDJs/Soulwax have created a pioneering way to experience their unique record collections & musical exploration. RADIO SOULWAX took over 2 & half years to develop. It has evolved and morphed from a simple original idea to a full multi–sensory media experience. Do not be confused or put off by the use of the term 'Radio' here as music is but one side to this experience. Together with the projects artistic director Fergus Purcell they have also created a unique accompanying visual channel to boot, which would be just as much Music TV as it is radio.

The visuals you will see here are crafted, inspired and lovingly animated using the imagery from the sleeves of the very records that shape each and every thematic hour in the 24-hour mix. At times the visuals themselves have even driven, informed and helped re-imagine the audio parts you'll hear simultaneously. It is an integral part of the unique charm of RADIO SOULWAX and one which is often the hardest to get across – This isn't just nostalgia for music boffins! Here, fans of animation, comedy, art or even god forbid, seventies sleeve nudity may well be tickled too. Musical train-spotters will also be in heaven! But here, each and every one of these painstakingly produced hours is fun, different and geared to trigger individual reactions unique to the viewer, listener, consumer etc.

As technology has advanced and social networking has continued to take over the planet, Soulwax's loyal fan base; that go out to see them DJ & perform month after month, year after year have become a closer, tighter, more interactive community. Their message boards bustle with activity, nostalgia, excitement and the exchange of experience and content.

RADIO SOULWAX is fun, chaotic and best of all - it is free. Due to copyright & publishing legalities - the content of the mixes broadcast cannot and will never be sold, which considering the time, money and love spent personally developing this project is utterly unique in itself, especially during this new age of the music industry.

Together they have curated from the depths of their own tastes and imagination, explored sonically and visually to willingly bring an experience to anyone and everyone with an open mind. Not every hour will necessarily be to your tastes but that is also part of its beauty.

read less

4.2

50% tickets sold

read more

We have sold 50% of all tickets.We feel your love!

read less

4.2

Record fair sellers wanted

read more

The Listen Festival Record Fair is becoming a true tradition. For the third year in a row we are hosting a record fair during the festival weekend. This year it will take place in ING Art Center, at Place Royal in Brussels, on Saturday 31.03 and Sunday 01.04.2018.

Listen Festival takes place during Easter weekend. This means that Monday April 2nd is a bank holiday. Enjoy our concerts & parties from Thursday until Monday morning!

read less

4.2

Heavy techno & electro line-up for day 4

read more

We are proud to announce the line-up of day 4, on Sunday 01.04.2018 (Monday is a bank holiday). The focus for this final day of the festival is on techno and electro music. The line-up is curated by three Brussels based influential partners.

Fuse is the leading Belgian club, going strong since 1994 and presenting cutting edge international line-ups on a weekly basis ever since. Fuse invites UK veteran techno dj Luke Slater, next to French techno ambassador Antigone, the Dutch modular synth live project Colin Benders and Fuse resident Pierre.Deep In House is a Brussels based collective organizing events since 2012 and has created a strong reputation and a huge following by doing so. Deep In House focuses on the contemporary electro scene, presenting Detroit native DJ Stringray (recently highlighted in Resident Advisor's 2017 defining artists), a live set by Volruptus (recently released on Nina Kraviz' трип label) and Brussels strongest L-Reak and Chris Ferreira.Basic Moves is a Brussels based label run by Walrus, releasing an adventurous journey through the outer limits of house, techno and electro. They invite over Laurine & Cecilio from the Berlin based Slow Life collective, next to a long back to back session by Walrus and Deg.

On Thursday March 29th 2018, on the eve of a long Eastern weekend, Flagey has to honor to host the opening concert of the third edition of Listen Festival. For the occasion the Belgian label Stroom and the Brussels based record shop Crevette Records were asked to curate the line-up. The result is an evening moving between the avant-garde electronica scene of the eighties and the nineties and a few contemporary, exciting new projects.

The concerts will be held in Studio 4, the heart of Flagey. On the bill: Rapoon, Hiele & Milan W., O Yuki Conjugate and Jonny Nash & Suzanne Kraft. At midnight, The Mystic Jungle Tribe will play an after show in the main hall.

You will also be able to enjoy the unique ambiance of a darkened ambient room. During the whole evening, the spectacular Studio 1 of Flagey will be the place to lay low, relax and enjoy the ambient music played by dj's Aroh, Tele Talks, Vitesse and Alfred Anders.

The ambient room will be open throughout the whole evening. You can enter it during the changeover of the concerts in the main room, or decide to skip a concert and enjoy a moment of meditation.